Johor's Islamic international schools pulling in Singaporean students

Parents drawn by academic and religious focus, as well as use of English to teach

- Harith Mustaffa

JOHOR BAHRU - A group of teenagers are sprawled on the smooth, grassy green synthetic carpet on the school grounds in Iskandar Puteri's EduCity in Johor state, revising their lessons quietly after observing the Muslim noon prayers.

Among them is 16-year-old Singaporean Adam Hairudin, who moved here from his home in Singapore's Bukit Batok town two years ago, going through his geography workbook with classmates of various nationalities.

Two teachers oversee their young charges, who require occasional help with their assignments. English is spoken, with occasional snippets in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia and Bengali overheard among the students.

"I really like it here," said Adam, a Year 10 student - equivalent to Secondary 4 in Singapore - who has made many friends at Idrissi International School.

"Studying here is easier, and I have more freedom to explore what I want to do," he told The Straits Times.

The school's Johor campus, which opened in September 2022, boasts air-conditioned classrooms, science and computer labs, a library, garden, sports facilities, and even a mini petting farm.

It takes in pre-school and primary pupils, as well as secondary students, with boarding facilities for the last group.

Idrissi is one of two international schools in the southern Malaysian state that are drawing Singaporean students by offering an academic programme, taught mainly in English, with Islamic elements.

The other is Mount Safa International Islamic School, which has been operating for more than a decade in the state capital Johor Bahru.

A third such school is in the works. Brainy Bunch, an Islamic Montessori pre-school franchise with branches in Malaysia and Singapore, expects to open a branch in Iskandar Puteri's education hub by 2027, said its group chief executive, Mr Mohd Fadzil Hashim.